What is the general consensus on the New Frontier series?

[Deranged Nasat]

Is New Frontiers using its own continuity or are there any ties to, I dunno, TNG/DS9 Relaunch, Destiny trilogy, etc.?

It's pretty much one-way. Other series and authors make many references to locations, races, events and ongoing arcs from "New Frontier", but "New Frontier" itself tends not to reciprocate. I personally wish it did, but of course there's no obligation for it all to be one continuity, just a preference among most authors (one I support ).

 

[Lee T]

It sometimes can get too wacky for me but it's always fun to read.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Fast and furious, often-humorous, science fiction soap opera, and featuring some of my favourite characters of all ST, including Arex and M'Ress of TAS.

Love it.

And yeah, "Once Burned" is amazing. So, too, is "Stone and Anvil".

 

[Ktrek]

I side with the majority here in that New Frontier is fun but rather campy. Peter David never fails to make me laugh at some points in his books and that's one of the reasons I like him. The characters often are over-the-top and that's OK as long as you can appreciate the series for what it is. As Therin said it is science fiction soap opera with more emphasis on the soapy than the science imho. They are rather fast reads and not very substantial and so if you like those kind of books you'll probably love them. Personally I think the DS9 relaunch is a far better investment of your time and money. Unless you have lots of both that is!

Kevin

 

[Snaploud]

Good, bad, decent? Some better than others?

Yes.

Ditto. The guy is one of my favorite writers, but a couple of his entries were downright excruciating to get through. Some were spectacular, and a few were just plan adequate. *shrugs*

 

[LutherSloan]

I agree that the earlier stuff was far better than the more recent stuff. Lately I feel like the series has just been bouncing around. At one point the novels jumped forward a year or two, and we don't know what happened to the characters in that period, at least not initially.

NF has very little tie-in to the rest of the ST universe. Can't remember anything that happened during NF that had an effect on the rest of the universe. I don't remember NF having anything to do with the Dominion War, despite it being a major event in the Alpha Quadrant.

Also, Before Dishonor proved that PAD needs to stick to NF books only.

 

[captcalhoun]

NF skipped the Dominion War due to a time-travel incident.

 

[Destructor]

I read the first four and stopped when a planet turned out to be an egg. Couldn't buy it, put it down mid-sentence. Ugh.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I read the first four and stopped when a planet turned out to be an egg. Couldn't buy it, put it down mid-sentence. Ugh.

Hey, no dissing the Great Bird of the Galaxy. It'll never bless your planet!

Then you'll have egg on your face, eh!

 

[Anika Hanson]

I find them enjoyable. They are not as great as Peter David's stand alone books like Q-squared and Imzadi, however I really enjoy the characters and for the most part the stories are engaging.

 

[Jbarney]

I read the first four and stopped when a planet turned out to be an egg. Couldn't buy it, put it down mid-sentence. Ugh.

While I did not give up on NF at that point, it was close. I guess my attempt to read all trek literature was what made me pick up the next few, but they got better.

As to your point, I thought the egg was very silly.

 

[KimMH]

the Egg was silly but self-consciously tongue in cheek - I think sometimes PAD is laughing at himself - it feels like he can't believe his luck - he's got his own corner of the Trek sandbox. my joy would would show through my writing too.

 

[ToddCam]

Used to love it, but it has gone steadily downhill since the time jump between Stone and Anvil and After the Fall.

At this point, I do wish it were a separate continuity as well. I like a lot of the things as background pieces to be offhandedly referenced, but I fear what he does with characters who might actually appear elsewhere (like Nechayev). His apparent ignorance with the rest of the Trek literary universe makes this quite possible. At this point, I really wish he had never touched Robin Lefler.

 

[PimpMario]

Thanks for all the replies.

I really do appreciate all the opinions from people who have already read the books I might read.

 

[Shatmandu]

Reading Peter David's work is just like reading a teenaged girl's high school yearbook notes: too many shout-outs and too many in-jokes.

Feh.

Joe, out

 

[JD]

NF has very little tie-in to the rest of the ST universe. Can't remember anything that happened during NF that had an effect on the rest of the universe. I don't remember NF having anything to do with the Dominion War, despite it being a major event in the Alpha Quadrant.

While none of them have had a big effect on the universe, there have been references to things like the Selevian War, Thallonians, and Triexians. On the other hand, I don't think PAD has ever tied NF into the rest of the Trek Lit universe himself, pretty much any ties have been made by other authors.

 

[Thrawn]

I love New Frontier. I don't care what you all say. I think the Trek universe is big enough for some alternate interpretations, and I think PAD's storytelling hits a great blend between wacky and serious. It's a totally different balance from anyone else's for damn sure, and as Before Dishonor shows it doesn't blend well, but on its own hell yes I love it.

I find complaints about strained believability in a universe that allows transporters, giant spacegoing amoebae, universal translators, and crossbreeding between aliens evolved on different planets a bit ... well, hilarious, really. So the bird hatches out of the planet. Ok. Stranger things have happened.

 

[Sxottlan]

Historically, for being the first book-only series, NF is important. Up to the loss of the first Excalibur, the series was great. The only good books since then have been Being Human and Missing in Action. The rest has been mediocre to terrible.

At this point, I really wish he had never touched Robin Lefler.

Boy ain't that the truth?

 

[captcalhoun]

NF has very little tie-in to the rest of the ST universe. Can't remember anything that happened during NF that had an effect on the rest of the universe. I don't remember NF having anything to do with the Dominion War, despite it being a major event in the Alpha Quadrant.

While none of them have had a big effect on the universe, there have been references to things like the Selevian War, Thallonians, and Triexians. On the other hand, I don't think PAD has ever tied NF into the rest of the Trek Lit universe himself, pretty much any ties have been made by other authors.

well, there was the Double Helix and Gateways miniseries. But I dunno how much they were editorially mandated crossovers...

 

[Baerbel Haddrell]

"Once Burned" is not only my favourite Star Trek book but the favourite book I have read so far.

I love New Frontier. It has been my favourite Star Trek from the beginning and I think they are at least worth a try. New Frontier has a very distinctive style that is not to everyone`s liking but to me it is one of the strengths of the series.